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Vogue 8379 Knit Wrap Dress

I’ve worn this dress lots! As with my other versions of this pattern, this is a very practical yet fun addition to my wardrobe. It’s great for work or for special occasions, depending on how it’s styled or what kind of fabric you use. I’ve also worn this particular dress in the colder months by pairing it with tights and a cardigan.

This dress has received some nice compliments, perhaps the best one being “That looks expensive!” from the cheery cashier at Pret A Manger. I’ll take it! I want to make a dozen more versions of this pattern…

Nicola Dress by Victory Patterns

I wish I could say that I wore this dress more, but I didn’t! I did manage to bring it out a couple of times, including a sewing meetup happy hour a few months ago.

My biggest challenge with wearing this dress was the way the front overlaps would slip off in either direction (all the way up) as I sat down. I also noticed you could see my entire leg as I stepped forward! I just can’t pull that off without being super self-conscious. To make it wearable, I sewed in some snaps at the skirt and that helped a lot.

The armholes are also a little tight so I would lower them if I made another version. Even with its issues I do love the pattern. I wonder if going for a wider waist size (or adding an interior waist tie) would help overlap the pieces even more. I could even use V8379 above as a guide.

Sorbetto Top by Colette Patterns

I definitely wore this last summer, though it’s a little more loose fitting/boxy than I’m used to wearing (even tucked in). I didn’t like the white bias tape trim along the edges so I turned it to the inside and top-stitched it down. This lets the Liberty fabric shine, I think. If I made this top again I’d go down in size to make it slightly less boxy.

If you’ve made these patterns up, do you find yourself wearing them a lot? Do you have any questions about these makes?

I’ve been trying to take photos of myself wearing my handmade outfits out and about so I can use them in these posts, so I’ll try to incorporate those moving forward if possible! Have a great Fourth of July for those here in the U.S. :)

• Pattern: Sorbetto Top by Colette Patterns
• Size: 0
• Fabric: 3/4 yard of 60″ wide Liberty “Suria” Tana Lawn from Brooklyn General; underlined with white voile
• Notions: White bias tape (one package)
• Alterations: Lowered the bust darts 1″; lengthened the top 3″
• Tip: To save paper, you don’t need to print the last page of the pattern section and, if you’re one of the smaller sizes, you don’t need to print out the second page

Oh boy, has it been roasty toasty these past few days. Temperatures have been hitting the 90s (30s C) and after a nice cookout on Saturday with family, I decided to spend Sunday sewing away.

And, look, a one day creation from me! Yes! It’s so nice to tackle a simple sewing project every once in awhile, especially when time is short and you want to take a break from a more involved project.

That’s where the Sorbetto top from Colette Patterns comes in. Free download, yippy! This is actually a top I never thought I’d make since I tend to shy away from more loose-fitting designs (I’m a fan of waist definition!). However, I realized this would be a great piece to tuck in to skirts that hit at my natural waist, such as the pencil skirt I’m wearing in these photos.

The loose fit and the sleeveless design also work really well for humid New York summers. Don’t get me wrong, summer is my favorite season, but tops like this sure do help get through the heat!

There’s another thing I’m happy about: a fast turn around on a fabric purchase. Do you remember this one? I bought it at the Colette Spring Party held at Brooklyn General back in March.

It’s my first Liberty buy and seeing how it’s pretty pricey, I only bought one yard of it (with the 20% discount I received for wearing my Colette Oolong, it came to $28 – not too bad for a nice new top!).

I knew I wanted to make a Colette pattern with it and even though I would’ve been able to squeeze a Sencha out of this small amount of yardage, the Sorbetto won out in the end. As others have blogged about this top before, it comes together very easily and quickly. And that’s coming from someone who takes awhile sewing things up. :)

Because the fabric is a wee bit sheer, I decided to underline the top with white voile remnants from the underlining of my Parfait dress. I had to create center back and front seams with the underlining to squeak out enough fabric (I’m determined to use what I have when I can!) and I also pinked the edges. I didn’t underline the pleat because I liked the layering of flowers between layers – it adds nice texture, yes indeed.

My size with Colette varies with each pattern, but since this top is loose I decided to make things easy and go with a straight size 0. I’m happy to report that this worked out just fine. I also took the advice of some other bloggers and lengthened the top 3″, although since I only plan on wearing this tucked in I think the original length would’ve been fine (it’s nice to have the longer option though).

I ended up lowering the bust darts 1″ and this worked out well. I’m pretty sure I remember reading others saying that the bust darts on this pattern are high (actually, I think I’ve read that comment for a few Colette patterns).

Check out how sturdy these Citi Bikes are! All parked in its little holder thingy, but not budging an inch as I hopped aboard for a photo shoot op. If you’re not familiar with these bikes, they were installed around parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn in May for people to rent and bike around town. I remember seeing ones like these in Sweden 10 years ago and now here we are in the Big Apple, here we are. :)

I used French seams at the shoulder and side seams, and I love the clean finish! The neckline and armholes are finished with white bias tape. You know, I’m not entirely sure I attached them the way the instructions told me to, but it came out just fine. Part of me thinks I should have made self-fabric bias tape, hmmm…

And that’s a wrap! It sure was nice to have a photographer chum on hand to help take outdoor photos. :-D

I have plans to make another Sorbetto in a solid, which will give me an opportunity to test some fabric manipulation at the pleat that I’ve been reading about in one of my books. Should be fun times.